Book Review & Character Interview of Penny from Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush by Victoria Pinder

Penny moves back to Miami to start her a job with a list of things to accomplish.

1. Find a place to live.
2. Avoid her gold-digging mother.
3. Reconnect with old high school friends: her best friend Sandra, the dramatic Eva, the dark Michael, her half-brother Wyatt, and her former crush Jay.

Jay may have kept her firmly in the “friend zone”, but that didn’t stop her from wanting more. Her five friends have stood by her through some difficult times and she’ll need their help now to accomplish her first two goals.

As soon as Jay sees Penny, he puts his plan into motion. His investors need to see him with a stable woman, one who isn’t all flash and no brains; Penny fits the bill perfectly. There’s just one hitch—he wants more.

Their pretend date sets off a whirlwind of plots. From mothers who want to control their children’s lives to the loss of her exciting new job, Penny’s world turns upside down. She knows she can overcome all obstacles except one—she’s falling for Jay all over again.

Excerpt:

Chapter One

Jay Marshall pressed his lips together as he held the phone. His hands curled into a ball then straightened. He stared out his bay windows overlooking the ocean. Another beautiful day on the beaches of South Florida, not that he cared. Sunshine never filled him with joy. The humidity outside suffocated the spirit, but somehow, with this deal, he’d break free.

“Yes, you’ll see I mean business, Mr. Danvers. My business plans are long term.”

Danvers sucked in his breath, as if he were doubting the sincerity of Jay’s words, then told Jay. “And I’ll meet your girlfriend. It’s always telling with people from Miami. Flashy women and cars do not make good investments on my end.”

Jay gritted his teeth and tugged at his free ear, but kept the phone on the other. Miami advertised plastic women on the highway as a special brand. Flashy came with the area code. Instead he nodded his head and told the potential investor, “I understand. See you next week.”

He hung up the phone and stared out the window. The brightness showed his reflection and his grim frown. Jay needed to win. His eyes squished together. He’d pay the price for success. He had no other choice.

Jay’s mind raced to his technical girlfriend. Eva was the epitome of flashy, beautiful, and fake. She’d been a friend since high school, and two months ago, they’d ended up dating. On paper the award winning dramatic actress, his money, and their history should be a match. Yet he couldn’t imagine his entire life videotaped.

If he walked away from her, there would be no regrets. His investors hoped he had a nice, sweet woman on the side. His cousin and her friend, Penelope, flashed in his head before he dropped the thought.

He pushed his hand on the glass window before he stepped back into the shadows of his office.

Darkness didn’t suit him either. Nothing stirred inside him anymore, though he craved something. Anything other than boredom from the sticky heat of his life.

He shook his head and poked his head out of his office. His secretary sat there typing. “Call Eva. Set up an appointment for us to talk today.”

With the click of the door knob he rolled up his sleeves. He needed the deal to put his goals in line with his investment portfolio.

His eyes narrowed in on the first words, long term growth.

Long term read to his eyes like a rescue rope. He blinked. Life should be lived with long term goals to reach. Freedom meant change.

Today, he’d break up with Eva. In his heart, he’d always hoped for a woman that tugged at his heart strings. But hopes didn’t earn freedom. He’d prove to himself, and the others, John Jay Marshall came out of the game of life on top.

Character Interview: Penny Knightheart.

1. Cotton or Silk?

Cotton. Plain. Silk is for people like my mother who want to draw in a man with any trick necessary.

2. Champagne/beer/wine?

I’ll have a white wine. Red makes me too drunk too fast, and I don’t like that head ache. Between beer and champagne though, beer it is

3. What drew you to each other?

What drew me to Jay? He’s my best friend. I had the option to either live with Dimples or live with my mother. I chose Dimples.

4. Name one thing that you find endearing about the other?

One quality. Jay has always had my back. He’s been there for me, despite the fact he think he’s a cold hearted businessman. He is far from that.

5. If you could change one thing about the other, what would it be?

He could lose more of the privileged upbringing perspective that he offers as advice. The entire world doesn’t live to serve. We’re working on it.

Favorite food –

Coffee. Is that not a food? If not, then we’ll go with a pastry to accompany my favorite drink.
7. If money were no object, where would you like to live?

Away from my mother. Far away. We live in Miami. I’d move to Alaska if I never have to listen to her again. How far can I get? Working in a factory in China might be preferable to listening to her horrible advice for one second.

8. What’s next for you?

I’m unsure. Working with Jay is amazing. I love it. My engineering degree is coming in handy. But I want to find something that is all me and create on my own. I’m a terrible artist though. Perhaps I’ll supervise a new coffee shop opening. That might fit more with my preferences. I like numbers and making sense of things. But I don’t want to walk away from engineering either. I don’t know. Living happily ever after still feels like a dream for someone like me. How does one live happily ever after? I never thought it possible until I fell for Jay. Now I don’t know what’s next.

OMG! Another New Adult book that is intelligent, smartly written, NO ANGST and get this…the characters are normal. Well, they are not bikers, rock stars, fighters or broken beyond repair. Penny, Jay, Sandra, Wyatt, Eva, Michael are normal 20 somethings that are out of college and trying to find their way in the world. Sure that world is Miami but Ms. Pinder doesn’t put them in the South Beach scene or any party scene for that matter. They have jobs, lives and ups and downs just like everyone else.

Okay, Jay has money but he doesn’t flaunt it. Yes, he drives a motorcycle but he’s not a biker. He’s a very down to earth guy that realizes just how evil and down right horrible his parents are in his life. Jeez, his mother had him kidnapped for the insurance money. But let’s not forget Penny’s great excuse for a mother. The final stunt she pulled was beyond despicable and I would NEVER forgive her or even talk to her after the fact. But how Ms. Pinder wrote Jay and Penny’s ending scenes with their mothers will always stick with me. Bravo!

I love a good friends to lovers story and even though the book is sensual, you can feel the sexual tension between them from the get go. It was almost like they were circling each other before the big pounce. 🙂 But their relationship as friends was true and honest from page one. I appreciated that fact that Ms. Pinder always reminded me of that. They truly cared for one other first as friends and then lovers. I loved the nickname of Jay…Dimples. Got me every time. Jay and Penny belonged together period. They complimented each other. The ying to the yang. They didn’t try to change each other but helped each other and more importantly, challenged each other. That’s what a relationship is about and Ms. Pinder nailed it.

I would be remiss to not mention their friends in the book. Each plays an important role in their relationship and I want a book with Sandra and Wyatt. Like yesterday…I mean what’s their story? I can’t even imagine at this point but I bet its a good one. 🙂

Please do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It’s a great NA that doesn’t use the tropes that every other NA author is using or has used. Its fresh, intelligent and smart. I cared about Penny and Jay from the beginning and I’m still thinking about them still. That’s GREAT storytelling.

Author Bio:

Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion.

She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.

The Zoastra Affair, Chaperoning Paris, Borrowing the Doctor, and Electing Love, Mything the Throne and Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush will be published in 2014.

Now she is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency.

Also she’s the Vice President for the Florida Romance Writers. Her website is www.victoriapinder.com.